Data can be arranged in an hierarchical fashion by a logical assignment of various data elements to classes and sub-classes of data. To allow a user to easily search for a particular data element, a tree structure is often displayed which can be traversed until the sought data element is found. For example, files arranged in directories and sub-directories are often represented visually in such a tree structure.
A data element presented in an hierarchical tree structure is often selectable for viewing of particular properties and attributes of the data element. For example, in response to selection of a file in the tree structure, the file may be opened in a new display window to reveal its contents. The contents may include tables of interrelated data. For example, a transaction record represented in the tree structure may include, among other tables, a table of personal data of a customer with whom the transaction was conducted. Further, it is often the case that data of one cell of a table represents another sub-table. For example, a customer may be associated with multiple transactions. A cell indicating that the customer is associated with transactions may be selected to display a table including transactions data. For example, each row of the transactions data table may include data of a respective transaction record. To navigate all of the data, a user can traverse the tree structure to find a data element and select it to separately view its contents, e.g., a table of data.
Contents of different data elements presented in an hierarchical tree structure can include similar tables or table components. However, at most, conventional computer systems provide for simultaneous display of two first hierarchical level tables that are not hierarchically related to each other. Further, the extent to which conventional systems provide for a hierarchical display of records that can be expanded to display corresponding tables is limited by the constraint that the tables of a same hierarchical level are of the same structure, i.e., they include the same column types in the same order. Conventional systems do not provide for presentation of hierarchically related tables in a manner via which relationships of different tables and table components of low hierarchical level tables can be visually discerned. In particular, conventional systems do not provide for presentation of differently structured tables in a manner via which relationships of the differently structured tables can be visually discerned.